We are planning a trip to Tanzania: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti (Zanzibar as well). I suffer from a chronic lower back pain. On a normal day there are no issues, but when exposed to bumpy car ride (or last weekend's horeback ride), my lower back flares up and I am in severe pain for over a week. So, how bumpy are those rides? Does anyone else have the same problem and how did they deal with it? Is it a reason enough to cancel the plans altogether?

Sorry for the screen name - I gave up after every name I tried was already taken.

It depends on the park. Tarangire wasn't too bumpy except for part of the road out to our lodge, Tarangire River Camp. I don't remember Lake Manyara or Olduvai Gorge being very bumpy at all. The road down into Ngorongoro is very bumpy, but it's driven very slowly. Once in the crater, the roads aren't bad. The Serengeti can be bumpy depending on the road - the main roads are pretty good, but the side roads can get very bumpy.

I don't have back problems myself, but I do know that my parents had quite enough of the bumpy roads by the end of our 10-day safari. One strategy could be to ask your guide to drive very slowly over the bumpy parts or stick to good roads - this will reduce the range of your game drives, but the bumps won't be as sudden.

I always bring my lower back pillow with me on safaris, and whenever possible I ask to be seated in the front next to the driver. Even on bumby rides, my bad back has been fine when following that strategy. Good luck!

noname (surprised that handle wasn't taken!), we also have back problems and went to Tanzania this year. We didn't go to the Gorge or Manyara or Zanibar though). We flew rather than drove from place to place, which is what I'm guessing you're doing. The game drives were not as bumpy as other countries because many areas are flat. And they'll go slowly on the drives in the crater, etc.

If you can even go horseback riding, you can definitely handle this. Bring a back pillow and whatever remedies that help you like arnica or Traumeal cream. We never needed the remedies. Agree with other poster, alert your TA as he/she can put it in the notes so you'll be paired up with people who also wish to go slowly. Go and have a great time.

I was definitely worried about back problems as we drove in a lot of rural, unpaved and VERY bumpy areas in Kenya and ET. I found a flat tempurpedic seat cushion that almost compressed totally in my suitcase. I also used my neck pillow, which doubled as lumbar support, and my daughter made fun of me, but I felt like the neck pillow really absorbed a lot of the impact away from my back. My back has hurt worse from some drives on paved roads inn the USA, so I was very pleased. Good luck!!

Serengeti seemed really bumpy in places, especially south near Ndutu. Ngorongoro Crater was somewhat bumpy. Lake Manyara and Tarangire were not bumpy at all, relatively well graded roads for the most part.

This is based on three trips in January and April, could be quite different at other times.

I'd advise flying out of Serengeti and maybe into Serengeti (you probably have to backtrack a bit to Manyara to do that leg).

Bill

Caution: There are almost as many types of back problems as there are people with bad backs. The types of things that aggravate or relieve someone else's problem might, or might not, have the same effect for you.

One thing that I would certainly recommend that you consider is to arrange for a private vehicle. This will help in several ways:

- you can have an entire seat row to yourself. This allows you to brace/stabilize yourself by sitting towards the middle of the seat row and stretching out your arms to hold the seat back. Also, if need be, you can lie on your back for part of the ride.

- If you need have a slower-than-usual drive, you can do so without becoming involved with the wishes of others. Same thing applies if you want a shorter-than-normal game drive.

I'm with rizzuto... all kinds of back problems and I'm in that club also, but do safari at least once a year. None of my game drives have had that much impact on the back.

Some roads in Tanzania are perfect, others are terrible; can be good in some places and poor elsewhere. Time of year, whether wet or dry will determines quality of roads in many of the game parks themselves.

If on a private* safari, especially, let your guide know and go from there. If it's a pillow, cushion or drugs... take/use what's needed. My choice is drugs.

*even if not, let him know.

I really sympathize with you as I also have a back problem (herniated L4/5 disc) which flared up this summer. I was afraid that I would have to cancel my safari which will be in Oct 2007.

I can only recommend that you consult a physiotherapist and start working with him/her now. It has helped me tremendously. No matter what your back problem, you should strengthen your "core muscles" (abdomen, gluteus) so that your back will not have to bear all the stress.

Bring antiinflammatories on the trip as well as an ice pack (or ziploc bags to fill with ice) in case of flare-ups. I will bring tons of Naproxen.

Also, buy a back support belt and wear it on your drives. I have been wearing one this summer and it has helped during the acute period of pain. Also, buy a good lumbar cushion (like ObusForme backrest or MacKenzie rolls) and possibly a seat cushion with a cutout hole for your tailbone.

A good book I recommend is Treat Your Own Back which has helped me very much.
http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Bac...667&sr=8-1

You can also check out the thread I started a while ago on low back pain. Look it up using my screen name.

Good luck!

The front seat next to the driver is most stable in the vehicle. If not, try to be seated in the immediate row!

Hari

Thank you all so much for your replies!! Your advises are very helpful. Small_but_feisty, thanks for the book reccomendation - I have just ordered it.
Many thanks again!

In Tanzania, I just visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, and the Serengeti. The road from Arusha is paved to near Tarangire and Manyara, and most of the way to Ngorongoro. But around the crater rim and going down into the crater, the roads were VERY bumpy, and by far, the worst road was from the Ngorongoro Crater to the central Serengeti (no paved sections at all, and very, very bumpy), and that is a long drive. Definitely not good for a bad back. Ladies, I suggest wearing a sports bra, it is that bumpy! So I would agree with the previous post about flying to/from the Serengeti, but ok to drive to Tarangire and Manyara.

We have just returned from Kenya and Tanzania. Found the roads in Kenya FAR worse than Tanzania. We drove from Nairobi to Samburu (overnight at Sweetwaters) The last part of the drive from the town of Isiolo to Samburu was wicked (and dusty and hot)

We returned as far as Nanyuki and flew to the Masai Mara then flew back to Kilimanjaro via Nairobi. From Kili to near the crater in Tanzania was a brand new paved road - very picturesque through the mountains near Lake Manyara. As mentioned, the road into the crater is bumpy and at a severe grade, but obviously taken slowly (about 30 min to the bottom) Road in the crater was okay (but dusty)
Road from the crater to Serengeti not paved but mostly okay. Serengeti - some smaller roads were tough but overall not bad (did I mention the dust)? We flew back from Serengeti to Nairobi - one way drive was enough.
Hope this helps

I have an air-filled seat cushion, that I'm wondering if I should take. Would this be good for the bumpy roads? Or is a softer cushion that's more like a pillow what you all recommend. This is the cushion I have now:

http://www.activeforever.com/p-476-s...e-cushion.aspx

Thanks,
Carl

Carl, that looks like a good choice, especially if you're already used to using it.

Everybody's back is different, but the roads ARE bumpy, and you are right to pose the question.
I suffer from mild to moderate back issues, and found myself almost crippled on some days.

Things that helped: an inflatable cushion; avoiding the back row of the vehicle; and standing as much as possible, so my legs could act as shock absorbers rather than my back.

Ironically, my worst day was the paved highway from Kenya to Tanzania. I think the problem was that the driver was so excited to be on pavement that he was going faster, and I made the mistake of being in the back row that day, and the combination was really bad.

Plan ahead for whatever kind of self-help you can do.
I did find that the Ngorogoro Serena had a good masseuse. The combination of a massage, a hot shower, some bio-freeze, anti-inflammatories, and a drink fixed me right up after a thrilling but hard day in the crater.